God never prohibited images of Saints

[thetruth0flife]

The biblical texts are very clear in its prohibition of images or statues of false gods. But another thing altogether is to apply these texts to the images as ornaments or religious signs.

How often have we heard this accusation from our protestant brethrens: "Catholics make images to worship, while the Bible is strictly prohibited. "

Many of our Catholic brothers do not know what to answer, others are left easily influenced by these half-truths and some are tempted to throw the pictures of the chapels.
I want to clarify this issue about the images, but with the Bible in hand. First of all, we must make a clear distinction between an image, a picture, a religious motif and an idol, which is "the image of a false god. " The Bible does strongly reject the worship of idols (false gods), but the Bible has never rejected images as religious symbols.

What is an idol stated by the Bible?

Many years before Jesus, in Moses’ time, God began to form his chosen people, the people of Israel. It was very primitive people that God had to take them out of polytheism to monotheism. All these ancient people had many gods, the worshipers and represented through images of Baal, which had the form of a bull, a lion or other animals. In these images, the people of Moses called them “idols” or false gods. The people of that time thought that these images had a magical power or miraculous power. In the end these idols were representations of power or services of the man himself. For example, the image of the golden calf, which appears in Exodus 32, was the expression of the brute force of nature. It could also represent the embodiment of sexual power and vicious disoriention. The golden calf meant the power of wealth that explodes and crushes the man, ie, the man with his vices, represented in the golden calf, he wants to be God and not to give it away to the one true God.

God called the Jewish people to continue along the path of monotheism, leaving behind the worship of idols and giving it to the true God. But the Israelites of that time attracted by the practices of the pagan people wanted, sometimes, to go back to polytheism and idol worship. Moses, inspired by Yahweh-God strictly forbade them to make these idols, “have no other gods before me, do not make statue or any image of what is in heaven or on earth or desserts you to these” idols “do not give them worship.”

Dear friends, these biblical texts are very clear in its prohibition of images or statues of false gods but another thing altogether is to apply these texts to the images as ornaments or religious signs. These signs (pictures) have never been forbidden by God or the Bible.

 

[thetruth0flife]

Explanatory text:

Sacred Scripture always makes the distinction between images as “idols” and images as" ornaments or religious symbols." Read some texts in which God commanded Moses to make images as religious symbols, *"They will make two cherubim of solid gold, hammered and put them in the extremities of the place of forgiveness, one on each side … There I will meet with you and speak from a place of forgiveness, from between the cherubim that are upon the ark of the Testimony … "(*Ex. 25.18 to 22). These two cherubim-like images of angels, religious decorations were for the most sacred temple. However, these images, made by human hands, were in the temple, the holiest site and were never considered as idols, but on the contrary, God himself ordered built.

Read another text of A. T.: Numbers 21, 8-9. That tells us as at that time the Israelites murmured against God and against Moses. So God sent poisonous snakes against the people that were biting them and caused many people to die.

Moses prayed for the people and God answered: “Make a bronze serpent, put it on a stick and all who look will be saved.” We realize again that this brazen serpent was an image made by human hands, but not to worship, but was a “religious symbol” to call upon God in faith.

Other texts in the Bible that show us that in the temple of Jerusalem had several pictures and sculptures that were not prohibited, even less considered as idols. Says Psalm 74, 4-5: “Your foes roared within your holy as woodcutters in the forest, broke down with an ax columns and sculptures in the temple.” That means that in the temple of Jerusalem they also had sculptures and images.

Dear fellow Catholics, these indications of the Bible is sufficient to say that the Bible itself, prohibit the manufacture of images as false gods (idols) but never has banned pictures or sculptures as religious decorations. This means that nobody can come to to bother anyone for having a picture or ornament in his temple or at home. For lack of biblical knowledge, or malice, protestant brothers may put these things in mind by accident or by purpose.

 

[CrazyRachel]

Interesting stuff there. I love pictures and statues of saints and iconography. It isnt worshiping an idol. Like you said, they’re religious symbols. I like to keep pictures and statues of certain saints, particularly Mary, to remind me of people I love. I was really upset when I read the story of the Infant of Prague and how the reformists smashed the hands off the statue of Baby Jesus. I thought how can you posssibly call yourself a Christian and yet smash a statue of the baby Jesus? Would you tear up a picture of your mother and still claim to love her? Thats how I see statues and pictures, they help us to remember those we love and admire and not to be worshiped and any non-Catholic who thinks that we do worship them has seriously got their knickers in a twist.

 

[thetruth0flife]

The images in our daily life.

Now, brothers, in our times we see pictures and statues everywhere. Each country have their own symbols and statues about their heroes.

**In our homes we have pictures that represent the image of a person. I have on my bedside table, for example, a picture of my mother who is in heaven, and by looking at this picture I remember her. **

I can even put this picture in a well nice place and garnish it with a flower and a candle … And if someone comes to my house to visit and he says, referring to the photo: “What an ugly monkey,” of course I’m very offended. So we also have pictures and images on our chapels representing some religious people, like the Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus or patron saint, of our people. Any Catholic will not think that these images are idols or false gods. These images remind us of Jesus or this or that saint who is in the presence of God and they help us think about the beauty of God.

The Catholic Church accepts that we keep images or pictures of saints in our church as long as they are not over exagerated. What do I mean by that? I mean sometimes our churches seems like an exposition of saints and in some cases they are so poorly placed that there is no space for the image of Christ. That is how they over exagerate. **So the Vatican asked to not repeat more than one image per every saint and that the centrality of the Church, if possible, should always be reserved for the image of Christ.**It is clear then that that we can never worship an image, we can never get on our knees before an image for worship, but we can get on our knees before an image and pray for forgiveness for our sins and to implore the saint to intercede to God in our behalf.

 

[thetruth0flife]

Interesting stuff there. I love pictures and statues of saints and iconography. It isnt worshiping an idol. Like you said, they’re religious symbols. I like to keep pictures and statues of certain saints, particularly Mary, to remind me of people I love. I was really upset when I read the story of the Infant of Prague and how the reformists smashed the hands off the statue of Baby Jesus. I thought how can you posssibly call yourself a Christian and yet smash a statue of the baby Jesus? Would you tear up a picture of your mother and still claim to love her? Thats how I see statues and pictures, they help us to remember those we love and admire and not to be worshiped and any non-Catholic who thinks that we do worship them has seriously got their knickers in a twist.

Do not pay attention to them and don’t let yourself get decieved anymore. Images contribute in a healthy way to our faith and they are interesting to look at. How would our spirituality be without looking at images or representations of our Lord Jesus?

 

[laszlo]

Here is the commentary of the Duoay Rheims

Gen 20: [4] Thou shalt not make to thyself a graven thing, nor the likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or in the earth beneath, nor of those things that are in the waters under the earth. [5] Thou shalt not adore them, nor serve them: I am the Lord thy God, mighty, jealous, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me:

[4] “A graven thing, nor the likeness of any thing”… All such images, or likenesses, are forbidden by this commandment, as are made to be adored and served; according to that which immediately follows, thou shalt not adore them, nor serve them. That is, all such as are designed for idols or image-gods, or are worshipped with divine honour. But otherwise images, pictures, or representations, even in the house of God, and in the very sanctuary so far from being forbidden, are expressly authorized by the word of God. See Ex. 25. 15, and etc.; chap. 38. 7; Num. 21. 8, 9; 1 Chron. or Paralip. 28. 18, 19; 2 Chron. or Paralip. 3. 10.

The Church cleared the case on the VII Ecumenical council (Nicea II 787)

302 (I. Definition) We, continuing in the regal path, and following the divinely inspired teaching of our Holy Fathers, and the tradition of the Catholic Church, for we know that this is of the Holy Spirit who certainly dwells in it, define in all certitude and diligence that as the figure of the honored and life-giving Cross, so the venerable and holy images, the ones from tinted materials and from marble as those from other material, must be suitably placed in the holy churches of God, both on sacred vessels and vestments, and on the walls and on the altars, at home and on the streets, namely such images of our Lord Jesus Christ, God and Savior, and of our undefiled lady, or holy Mother of God, and of the honorable angels, and, at the same time, of all the saints and of holy men. For, how much more frequently through the imaginal formation they are seen, so much more quickly are those who contemplate these, raised to the memory and desire of the originals of these, to kiss and to render honorable adoration to them, not however, to grant true Iatria according to our faith, which is proper to divine nature alone; but just as to the figure of the revered and life-giving Cross and to the holy gospels, and to the other sacred monuments, let an oblation of incense and lights be made to give honor to these as was the pious custom with the ancients. “For the honor of the image passes to the original”; and he who shows reverence to the image, shows reverence to the substance of Him depicted in it.

 

[Katrina5]

Here is the commentary of the Duoay Rheims

Gen 20: [4] Thou shalt not make to thyself a graven thing, nor the likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or in the earth beneath, nor of those things that are in the waters under the earth. [5] Thou shalt not adore them, nor serve them: I am the Lord thy God, mighty, jealous, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me:

[4] “A graven thing, nor the likeness of any thing”… All such images, or likenesses, are forbidden by this commandment, as are made to be adored and served; according to that which immediately follows, thou shalt not adore them, nor serve them. That is, all such as are designed for idols or image-gods, or are worshipped with divine honour. But otherwise images, pictures, or representations, even in the house of God, and in the very sanctuary so far from being forbidden, are expressly authorized by the word of God. See Ex. 25. 15, and etc.; chap. 38. 7; Num. 21. 8, 9; 1 Chron. or Paralip. 28. 18, 19; 2 Chron. or Paralip. 3. 10.

The Church cleared the case on the VII Ecumenical council (Nicea II 787)

302 (I. Definition) We, continuing in the regal path, and following the divinely inspired teaching of our Holy Fathers, and the tradition of the Catholic Church, for we know that this is of the Holy Spirit who certainly dwells in it, define in all certitude and diligence that as the figure of the honored and life-giving Cross, so the venerable and holy images, the ones from tinted materials and from marble as those from other material, must be suitably placed in the holy churches of God, both on sacred vessels and vestments, and on the walls and on the altars, at home and on the streets, namely such images of our Lord Jesus Christ, God and Savior, and of our undefiled lady, or holy Mother of God, and of the honorable angels, and, at the same time, of all the saints and of holy men. For, how much more frequently through the imaginal formation they are seen, so much more quickly are those who contemplate these, raised to the memory and desire of the originals of these, to kiss and to render honorable adoration to them, not however, to grant true Iatria according to our faith, which is proper to divine nature alone; but just as to the figure of the revered and life-giving Cross and to the holy gospels, and to the other sacred monuments, let an oblation of incense and lights be made to give honor to these as was the pious custom with the ancients. “For the honor of the image passes to the original”; and he who shows reverence to the image, shows reverence to the substance of Him depicted in it.

No pictures or statues of Mohammed allowed.